The name 'Grainne'

jacy · 04-04-2007 07:08PM #1

I'm thinking about naming my baby Grainne. Does anyone know of it being spelled Grania? My husband wants it spelled that way but I don't like the idea of spelling an Irish name in the english version. Also, does anyone know how common the name Grainne is anymore---and where is it most common? Thanks.

04-04-2007 07:08PM

jacy wrote:

I'm thinking about naming my baby Grainne. Does anyone know of it being spelled Grania? My husband wants it spelled that way but I don't like the idea of spelling an Irish name in the english version. Also, does anyone know how common the name Grainne is anymore---and where is it most common? Thanks.

I know a few, dublin/kildare
Grania looks silly to me tbh, and I haven't seen it before
wouldn't you end up with people calling her "gran-ya"?

luckat · 05-04-2007 01:09AM

Grania is one of those 'easy' spellings for the Gaeilge-challenged, like 'Shawn'.

crosstownk · 05-04-2007 09:27AM

I'm a fan of Irish names and I'd always spell them as Gaeilge. Irish names that have been Anglicised or Americanised irritate me, tbh.

run_Forrest_run · 05-04-2007 09:40AM

hmm, even spelling it Grania makes it sound different. The original & traditional spelling is nicer IMO.

dr.bollocko · 05-04-2007 09:50AM

Isnt it very similar to the Irish word for ugly?

NextSteps · 05-04-2007 01:52PM

The spelling is Gráinne, with a fada. Lovely name.

simu · 05-04-2007 01:57PM

Nice name. I prefer the Irish version (being an Irish speaker:)) but I've seen Grania too. It's a name nearly everyone in Ireland is familiar with but it's not common imo. That's good, though - it means your daughter won't have the same name as lots of other girls at school!

dame · 05-04-2007 02:22PM

Viscountess Powerscourt Sheila Wingfield (nee Beddington) had a daughter named Grania. I was just flicking through books in Hodges Figgis yesterday and noticed that name under a picture in the middle of this book;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Something-Hide-Wingfield-Viscountess-Powerscourt/dp/1843510936/ref=sr_1_1/202-1114064-9321400?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175779054&sr=8-1

I prefer the Irish spelling Gráinne (I always prefer the traditional spelling of a name) and it is a nice name, but dr.bollocko is right, it is very similar to the word grána (ugly).

I've a cousin by the name in Galway and know a Tipperary girl of the same name but couldn't tell you where it's most common now.

People will pronounce Grania as "Granny-a".

simu · 05-04-2007 02:43PM

Well, tbh gránna and Gráinne sound quite different to an Irish speaker - they're 2 different n sounds.

potty pete · 05-04-2007 02:48PM

UB wrote:

The spelling is Gráinne, with a fada. Lovely name.

I disagree. I think it's a harsh sounding and quite ugly name. Just my opinion.

dame · 05-04-2007 07:36PM

simu wrote:

Well, tbh gránna and Gráinne sound quite different to an Irish speaker - they're 2 different n sounds.

I know, but how many of the people the child comes in contact with will be fluent Irish speakers?

magnumlady · 05-04-2007 07:47PM

I'm not too keen on the name to be honest. It reminds me of something to do with a groin.

jabaroon · 05-04-2007 07:50PM

Non irish will also probably have serious problems pronouncing it. I work with a girl called Grainne and all the yanks we deal with are unable to comprehend the correct pronunciation. As a result she has accepted and responds to the name grainey when dealing with the yanks!

spurious · 05-04-2007 07:52PM

I would be seriously shocked if you came across an Irish person who did not know the name Gráinne.

If I saw a child called Grania my first thought would be that the parents were American and could not spell Gráinne.

As for it being like gránna, that is just daft. The boy's name Denis is one letter away from another word too, but it does not enter my mind when I meet a person called Denis.

iguana · 05-04-2007 08:29PM

There was definitely a story called Gráinne Gránna when I was a kid. It's always the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the name Gráinne.

Nevyn · 05-04-2007 09:38PM

I have always like Grainne as a name and the stories to go with it are about strong determined women.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_O'Malley
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A1inne

simu · 05-04-2007 10:41PM

dame wrote:

I know, but how many of the people the child comes in contact with will be fluent Irish speakers?

Well, they probably won't be looking for Irish words that sound like Gráinne then.

Acid_Violet · 05-04-2007 11:10PM

dame wrote:

I know, but how many of the people the child comes in contact with will be fluent Irish speakers?

Most people don't cop the similarities between gránna and Gráinne. It has become a lot more common recently (and will become more common thanks to Gráinne Seoige in fairness) so if you want a fairly original name this wouldn't be a good one to bank on.

simu · 05-04-2007 11:47PM

iguana wrote:

There was definitely a story called Gráinne Gránna when I was a kid. It's always the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the name Gráinne.

Oh, I believe that was Gráinne Gráinneog(Hedgehog) on Bosco!:D

edanto · 06-04-2007 12:04AM

Thaedydal wrote:

I have always like Grainne as a name and the stories to go with it are about strong determined women.

qft

Beautiful name. She could well be proud to have the proper Irish spelling too.

dame · 06-04-2007 10:01AM

simu wrote:

Well, they probably won't be looking for Irish words that sound like Gráinne then.

The kids in school will come across the word gránna.

BoozyBabe · 06-04-2007 01:04PM

potty pete wrote:

I disagree. I think it's a harsh sounding and quite ugly name. Just my opinion.

Seconded. I'm afraid

Something like Caitríona is far nicer

microgirl · 06-04-2007 01:44PM

AFAIK Grania is the Latinised rather than the Anglicised version of Gráinne - it's usually Anglicised Grace.

I have to say although I'm usually much more in favour of the most traditional spelling possible I really rather like Grania. I know Morgan Llewellan used that spelling in her fictional novelabout Grace O'Malley/Gráinne Ui Mhaille/Granuaile/call-her-what-you-will, and I have seen it in other places as well. I do think though that it would more likely get pronounce GRAN-ya, as has been mentioned on the thread already. But bear in mind that in, say, Ulster "Gráinne" would be pronounced GRAN-ya anyway. Or at least that's how my mam's relatives all pronounce her name

I haven't actually come across any kids in the last few years with that name, but I'm not much in the way of seeing kids anyway. Most people I know with that name would me my own generation (late-20s to mid-30s). It's not a fraction as common as the likes of Aoife or Deirdre (both gorgeous Irish names, but far too common for my liking)

Trinity · 06-04-2007 03:33PM

Idont know any Grainnes.

Its a nice name but i wouldnt even consider spelling it Grania or any other way tbh. If you choose Grainne then leave the spelling alone or choose a different one altogether. There are some great free sites out there with baby names. In my day you had to buy a book

My sons name is Seán. I think nice Irish names are few and far between tbh so theres not a lot of choose from, just my opinion. And i'm looking for names at the moment too. In saying that my Irish is dire so looking up books is difficult unless they have a section to help with pronunciation.

Trinity · 06-04-2007 03:36PM

BoozyBabe wrote:

Something like Caitríona is far nicer

Now that is a lovely name.

Blush_01 · 06-04-2007 04:21PM

TBH I think Gráinne is far prettier than Caitríona, but you do associate names with people you know of that name. Grania is a latinisation of Gráinne.

If I were you, OP, I'd be all for spelling it correctly, as gaeilge. I hate when people spell my name (Úna) or my sister's name wrong (I'm particularly particular about my fada). My sister's name is Eibhlín and people always spell it Eileen which I find horrible by comparison.

Whatever you go with, best of luck!

deisemum · 06-04-2007 10:12PM

Personally it's the one Irish name that I really dislike and I thought it was the Irish for ugly.

I think you should name your baby whatever you like because people will always differ in their opinions of names anyway. Each to their own

Orion · 06-04-2007 10:15PM

Gráinne is a lovely name. We considered it for our daughters. Go with the Irish spelling.

<-- proud father of Ailbhe and Bláithín.

killbillvol2 · 06-04-2007 11:17PM

Gráinne's not in the top 25 most common names: Link

Anglicised spellings of Irish names look stupid IMO. They give me the impression that the parents couldn't spell the name correctly. And Grania is a particularly bad one.

csk · 06-04-2007 11:18PM

It's a gorgeous name and should be spelt as Gaeilge with the fada if you ask me. Grania just doesn't look right. If I saw the name I would be likely to pronounce it gran-ee-a.

I know of at least three Gráinne's personally spread out around the country, but the name is so nice I don't think that its popularity should matter and you could do alot worse.

The name 'Grainne'

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